Partnership Building Activity – The Butterfly Effect

Partnership Building Activity – The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly effect was the name of a partnership building project that took I part in from the 25th of July until the 2nd of August. The project is a Training course which is organized by BetterMaking organization or BMO. 25 participants from Serbia, Greece, Germany Austria, Italy, Romania and Spain took part and all participants are involved directly or indirectly with youth work and Erasmus plus. The project took place in a small, quiet Town in lower Austria called Melk, which was great for both relaxation and productive work. The premise of the whole project is that the focus should be on building connections between the many existing NGOs rather than creating new ones.

Day one was the day of the arrival. No activities were assigned other than for everyone to settle in for the next day, which marked the introduction and primary briefing of the project. What I personally enjoyed that day was how fast we got to know each other and that there was little to no need for Ice-breaking, because everyone was in a great mood and got along very well very quick.

On the 2nd and 3rd days of the project we were taught through methods of non-formal education what the life cycle of an Erasmus project is, as well as the classification system of Erasmus plus (Key Actions 1 through 3 and each of their properties).
We also had the chance to present the Organizations that we´re active in and each of us offered the group a glimpse about what their organization did, what the target groups are and what kind of projects they organize. It is also worth mentioning that we were informed about project-funding possibilities other than Erasmus and the criteria they have for the funding.

The project was mentally demanding as we needed to actively learn how the whole system of Erasmus plus worked. Due to the demanding nature of the training course we were given a day off, in which we could spend the time as we please. My teammates took a trip to Vienna that day to see the city. I on the other hand decided to have a chill day at the venue and enjoy how calm and beautiful Melk is.

In the remainder time of the project we were assisted into making our own Project. We were split into two groups, each had a different topic for an Erasmus project that addresses a given issue both locally, as well as on the level of the EU. We were split into four groups, each had a different responsibility of writing a part of an Erasmus Project. My group was tasked with figuring out what the Impact of our project is and how we can measure it. 

 

It would be an understatement to say that I learned a lot during the project. It would be another understatement to say that I had a lot of fun too. We learned and laughed during the day, relaxed and laughed some more during the night, and we said goodbye with a wholesome group hug that was the perfect way to end a great project 🙂

And here is the official video  https://www.facebook.com/bettermakingorganization/videos/2439267716138380/

Yours,
Ibrahim Bashimam